Raisin-seeder



(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 1'. B. BLISS. RAISIN SEBDBR. No. 572,858. v Patented Dec. `8, .1896. I'TEI.

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(N o Model.) 2 Sheets-'Sheet 2 S. B. BLISS.

RAISIN SEEDER.

No. 572,858. Patented Dec. 8, 1896.v

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SAMUEL B. BLISS, OF PASADENA, CALIFORNIA.

RAISIN-SEEDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 572,858, dated December 8, 1896.

Application fled June 10, 1895.

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, SAMUEL B. BLIss, of Pasadena, `in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Raisin-Seeders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to raisin-seeding machines of the character set forth in Letters Patent No. 509,649, granted to me November 28, 1893, said patent showing a bed having interstices or openings into which the meat or pulp of the raisins may be pressed, but which will not admit the seeds, a yielding presser to press the meat or pulp of the raisins into the interstices of the bed, means for ejecting the pulp from the interstices ofthe bed, and a scraper which is movable across the bed and alternately sweeps off the seeds which have been detained on the surface of the bed and the pulp which has been first forced downwardly into the interstices of the bed and then raised therefrom by the ej ecting means.

The present invention has for its object to provide certain improvements in the construction of a machine of this class, said improvements comprising a bed composedof a plurality of independent wires adapted to impale the pulp of the raisins, each tooth being surrounded by a pulp-receiving space.

My improvements also comprise an ejecting device, preferably composed of a perforated plate movable upon said pins.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l represents a top plan view of my improved machine. Fig. 2 represents an end view of the same. Fig. 2iL represents a top view of the impalingbed and ejector removed from the machine. Figs. 21 and 2c represent edge views of said bed and ejector, as shown in Fig. 2, Figs. 3 and 4L represent longitudinal sections of the machine, showing it at different stages of the operation. Fig. 5 represents a front elevation of the machine. Fig. 6 represents a section on line 6 6 of Fig. 4c.

The same letters and numerals of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, a represents the supporting-frame having a fixed pulp-impaling bed composed of a plurality of wire pins or teeth 2, thickly arranged on a base or supportingplate 3, which may be secured to the frame Serial No. 552,213. (No model.)

in any suitable way, preferably by means of ribs at the ends or sides of said plate and grooves 5 5, Fig. 6, in the supporting-frame receiving said ribs, the impaling-bed being thus detachable from the frame. The pins or teeth are of such size that they can readily penetrate the pulp of raisins pressed upon them, each being surrounded by a pulp-receiving space.

c represents the presser, which forces the raisins against the impaling-bed and having a plain or smooth surface free from projections or depressions, said presser being here shown as a block of elastic material, such as rubber or a compound thereof, of suiiiicient size to cover the impaling-bed. The presser is affixed to a lever c', which is pivoted at c2 to the supporting-frame a and is provided in its lower portion with a cam-shaped slot or recess c3, which receives a crank wrist-pin c4 on the driving-shaft c5, the arrangement of the lever c', slot c3, and wrist-pin c4 being such that the rotation of the shaft'oscillates the lever c and thus alternately depresses the presser c into contact with the impalingbed and raises it from said bed. I do not, however, limit myself to this construction of the presser, as it may be of any suitable construction aud may be operated by any suitable means. When the presser is depressed, it forces the pulp of a raisin placed upon said bed downwardly into the spaces surrounding the pins 2, said pins being so close together that the seeds cannot enter the spaces, but remain at the upper ends of the pins and are forced into the yielding material of the presser. 4

d represents an ejector or stripper, which is preferably a plate provided with numerous orifices corresponding in form and arrangement to the pins 2, the said plate being movable vertically upon said pins and acting to eject the pulp from between the pins, as hereinafter described. I do not limit myself, however, to this construction, and may make the ejector or stripper in the form of a series of tongues movable between the ranks of pins, or it may be of any other suitable construction.

The ejector is supported by means of a plate d', having at its ends or sides ears d2, which project upwardly and are rigidly affixed to IOO the ends of the ejector, saids ears being located at opposite ends of the pin-supporting plate 3. The plate CZ rests upon a base-plate or carrier cl3, which is formed on or affixed to a stud d4, the latter being vertically movable in a socket formed in a guiding arm or bracket a, affixed to the supporting-frame a. The carrier d3 is provided with guides or ears all, Fig. 6, which engage the edges of the plate cZsaid plate being removable from the carrier by sliding it between said ears. This construction enables the impaling-bed and the ejector to be removed together from the machine, in order that they may be readily and conveniently cleaned, the guides 5 5 permitting the ready removal of the impalingbed from the frame, while the guides Z7 (i7 on the carrier permit the removal of the ejector with the impaling-bed. Vhen the machine is in use, the said parts are locked in the frame and prevented from being withdrawn therefrom by means of -a movable detent, which, as here shown, is a screw a6, located in a socket in the supporting-frame and arranged to bear against the outer end of one of the side pieces of the impaling-bed, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, thus preventing the withdrawal of the impaling-bed and ejector from the machine. When said screwis turned outwardly, the bed and ejector may be readily withdrawn. The carrier d3 and the ejector supported thereby are normally pressed downwardly by means of a spring d5, interposed between the under side of the guide a and a collar d6, affixed to the stud d4. The lever c is provided with a projection or toe c6, which bears on the under side of the ejector-carrier d3 and is arranged so that when the lever is moved to raise the presser the said toe c6 will raise the carrier d3 and the ejector, thus causing the latter to eject from between the pins 2 the raisin-pulp that has been forced therebetween by the presser.

e represents a scraper, which is a metal bar affixed at its ends to slides e', which are fitted to slide upon horizontal guide-rods e2, secured to ears a2 on the supporting-frame.

The scraper e is arranged to move back and forth across the impaling-bed, the lower ends being substantially flush with the upper ends of the pins 2, so that when the scraper is moved horizontally it will detach and sweep from the ends of the pins the seeds or the pulp, as the case may be, the scraper removing the seeds when moving in one direction and the pulp when moving in the opposite direction, this result being due to the fact that after the scraper has moved across the ends of the pins to sweep off the seeds and deposit them in a chute a3, provided for their reception while the ejector is depressed, the ejector is raised and forces the pulp above the upper ends of the pins, so that when the scraper moves in the opposite direction it sweeps oft' the pulp 'and causes it to drop onto an incline d4 on the supporting-frame.

The scraper e is operated by means of an arm e3 at one side of the supporting-frame, said arm being affixed to a shaft c4, passing through the supporting-frame and journaled therein, a trundle-roll e5 on said arm entering a cam-groove c in a gear e7 on the drivingshaft, and another arm, e8, affixed to the opposite end of the shaft e4. The arms c3 and es are provided with slots at their' upper ends, which receive studs e9 e9, projecting from the slides c. The rotation of the gear e7 causes the cam e6 to oscillate the arm e3, the movements of the latter being transmitted, through theshaft e4, to the arm e8, the two arms jointly causing a back-and -forth motion of the scraper.

f represents a vertically-movable scraper which is located at one end of the impalingbed and is alternately raised and depressed, so that it removes from the scraper any seeds that may adhere thereto after the scraper is moved across the pins to sweep the seeds therefrom.

The scraper f is raised by means of a cam f', Fig. 6, on the shaft c4, a stud f2, affixed to the blade f and passing downwardly through a socket in the supporting-frame, its lower end being arranged to bear upon the cam when the latter rises, so that the cam raises the scraper, and a spring f3, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2,) said spring being arranged to depress the scraper f when it is released by the cam f.

The described parts are timed to operate as follows: When the presser descends upon the iinpaling-bed, the ejector also descends, so that when the presser comes in contact with the pins the ejector is depressed, as shown in Fig. 4E, leaving the spaces surrounding the pins for the reception of the pulp, which is forced downwardly between the pins by the presser, the seeds remaining at the upper ends of the pins. At this time the scraper is at the left-hand end of the impaling-bed, as shown in Figs. l, 2, 3, and 4. Vhen the presser rises and before the ejector rises, the scraper e moves across the impaling-bed, sweeping the seeds into the chute a3. While the scraper e is at the right-hand end of the impaling-bed the ejector d rises and ejects the pulp from between the pins, leaving it at the upper ends of the pins, so that when the scraper e returns to the position shown at the left-hand end of the impaling-bed it sweeps the pulp from the pins and ejector and causes it to fall upon the incline a4.

The driving-shaft c5 may be impelled by hand through a crank engaged with a square shoulder 7l on a pinion c", which is journaled IOO IIO

on the supporting-frame and meshes with the movable in the spaces between the pins, the

said presser being adapted to force raisinpulp into the spaces between the pins and leave the seeds on the ends of the pins, a spring for normally holding the ejector downward, means for positively raising the ejector, and a scraper movable across the ends of the pins.

2. A raisin-seeder comprising a fixed horizontal pulp-impaling bed composed of a plurality of closely-set vertical pins, a movable elastic presser having a smooth or plain surface, an ejector mounted on a vertically-mov able stud and movable in the spaces between the pins, a spring for pressing the stud downward, means for positively raising the stud, a sliding scraper adapted to remove seeds from the tops of the pins, and means for re moving seeds from said scraper.

3. A raisin-seeder comprising a supportingframe7 an impaling-bed composed of a baseplate with a plurality of projecting wires or teeth and detachably engaged with the supporting-frame, a stud d4 vertically movable in a socket in the frame, a carrier d3 on the stud and having guides C17, a plate cl tting said guides, and an ejector supported by said plate d', substantially as described.

4. A raisin-seeder comprising a supportingframe having horizontal guide-rods e2, the impaling-bed composed of a base part and a plurality of pins, wires, or teeth, the stripping or ejecting plate movable on or between the said wires, pins, or teeth, a presser having an elastic exterior for properly impaling the raisin on the impaling-bed, a scraper for removing the fruit and seeds from the face of the impaling-bed and having slides e fitted to said guide-rods, and a second scraper for removing adhering matter from the Iirst mentioned scraper. v

5. A raisin-seeder comprising a supportingframe, a carrier fitted to move on said frame, a perforated stripper-plate detachably engaged with said carrier, an impaling-bed composed of a base-plate and a plurality of wires projecting upwardly therefrom through the perforations in the stripper-plate, said baseplate being detachably engaged with the supporting-frame, and a movable locking device whereby the stripper-plate and impaling-bed may be detachably secured to the frame.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 29th day of May, A. D. 1895.

sAMUEL B. BLiss.

Witnesses ROBERT STRONG, MERRILL WHIroN. 

